Party-list proportional representation and the single transferable vote : the extinction of the PRSTV?

Abstract

The single transferable vote (STV) has been enshrined in Maltese electoral law since 1921. Throughout the years, amendments have been carried out to cater for anomalies that have been caused in election results, from the perverse results of the 1981 election to the proportionality amendments of 2007. However, the fine tuning of our electoral system has created a unique form of the STV. One of the key features of a proportional representation (PR) system is to have the closest relationship possible between the votes received in a given election and the seats won in parliament. The author chose to compare the most commonly used family of PR, the list systems, with the Maltese version of the STV, with the aim of concluding whether electoral reform should be considered. The first chapter shall analyse the strictest form of the list systems, the closed-list systems. Such a chapter shall tackle the electoral systems of Israel, South Africa and Spain. The objective here is to critically analyse the set-up of the closed-list system by comparing countries using the same system and also cross-referencing it to the preferential-list systems. Keeping in mind the structure of the STV, the author shall, throughout this thesis, compare the pros and cons of the closed-list system and the STV, aiming to conclude whether the format of a closed-list system should feature in Malta. The second chapter shall tackle the preferential-list systems of the Netherlands & Denmark and the open-list system of Finland. The objective here is to critically analyse the different-set ups of the lesser strict systems when compared to the ones tackled in Chapter 1. Additionally, throughout the chapter, the author compares the pros and cons of such a set-up to those of the closed-list systems whilst referring to the STV. Once again, the scope of such a chapter is to conclude whether such a system may in fact feature in Malta and completely replace the STV as a whole. The third chapter focuses on the Maltese electoral system, spanning from the beginning of the British rule to date. The scope of this chapter is to critically analyse the development of the Maltese electoral system, analysing the majority of elections and the amendments over time. The objective of such a chapter is to critically analyse the system that has been created to date and to bring forth a conclusion on whether a total change and rebuttal of the STV should take place. At this stage, the author also proposes a few changes which can be made to the current system in order to create a more proportional result. Throughout the course of this thesis, the author shall analyse the election results of the latest elections in the list systems whilst critically analysing the majority of elections throughout the lifetime of the Maltese electoral system. The objective is to analyse the link between the votes received and the seats won in parliament in the different set-ups of the list systems and the STV. Additionally, the author shall analyse the composition of the different Parliament formations and refer to the stability of government formation. Finally, the thesis aims to conclude whether the Maltese electoral system should in fact be changed in its entirety and shift to a party-list system, or whether the system created to date is best suited for Malta.